Il libro della giungla

NES Game Reviews #31 – The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book looks impressive, but the control lets it down. Each movement has 4 or 5 frames of animation, it’s pretty but your response time is compromised as a result!

You can perform a long & high jump. Were are both necessary? Sometimes you even need to do a long, high jump. Fail to gauge the correct jump required and you’re toast!

Mowgli deve recuperare un numero prestabilito di gemme nascoste in ogni livello prima di essere portato via da un uccello gigante, vi ricordate l'uccello gigante della storia vero? Le gemme sono sparse negli angoli più remoti dei livelli. La maggior parte degli stage funziona su più livelli, raggiungere le cime degli alberi può essere impegnativo e gli errori costano cari! È frustrante arrivare alla fine del livello e rendersi conto di aver perso una gemma all'inizio. Tuttavia, il costante backtracking aggiunge un ulteriore livello di gioco e permette di apprezzare (o temere) ogni parte del livello.

It’s unlikely you’ll collect every gem first time. There’s a fairly unforgiving time limit, thankfully if you lose a life, the gems you’ve already collected are saved (until you use a continue), so progression through a stage is bearable.

Mowgli can jump on some enemies heads, but you’d better be perfect with your accuracy. I seem to lose more life than it’s worth so I avoid the jump attack. Thankfully there’s an abundance of jungle themed projectiles. You can stockpile weapons which helps for bosses!

Bosses appear to get easier the further you get! Baloo is the 2nd boss. Why is Mowgli fighting him? Once defeated, you appear to ride his dead corpse down river! Good job I’ve read the story?.

Find a spade hidden in each level for the bonus stage. Here theres an abundance of extra lives and even continues. You’ll need them for level 8! The whole level is falling platforms! There’s nothing more theraputic than holding your breath, clenching your buttocks and curling your toes for every jump! The jump mechanics demand landing on an exact set of pixels or death! How relaxing, and a whole level of it! Good job NES controllers are built like tanks. I could have snapped mine at one point!

Fun game let down by poor controls. Still worth a playthrough.